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The European Startup Show

The European Startup Show
Author: Anita Moorthy
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© 2023 Anita Moorthy
Description
To inspire technology entrepreneurs in Europe with stories and practical strategies from other successful entrepreneurs.
If you are a CEO, founder, or work in sales or marketing, and your company is based in Europe or is looking to expand into Europe, then this podcast is for you.
If you are a CEO, founder, or work in sales or marketing, and your company is based in Europe or is looking to expand into Europe, then this podcast is for you.
90 Episodes
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Guerson Meyer, Co-Founder & Technology Officer of Sophiq Properties, a PropTech company talks about how he uses no-code solutions at Sophiq Properties to locate, evaluate and validate properties in real-time, adapting to the needs of each investment. In 2023 alone, they will complete 16 operations totalling 30 million euros. Hear in detail what no-code tools he used to build his core business.
Why all SaaS companies should implement usage-based pricing andHow to run a successful design partner program with your customers to build your early MVP
[1:49] - Why not having domain expertise can sometimes help entrepreneurs
[5:45] - Defining your ICP
[8:31] - Determining your MVP
[13:06] - Funding your seed and lessons learnt from raising too early.
[22:48] - GTM
[30:11] - Building a team and culture; it starts first with language.
[40:20] - Culture first hiring tips
LinksCompany: Digitail.ioGuest: Sebastian GaborBook link: Never Split the difference, Chris Voss
[2:16] - 20 years and starting a company in Estonia[5:08] - Angel investing and what to look for?[10:01] - First CIO of Estonia[16:59] - Koos - what is it and why is it important[29:04] - Advice for other entrepreneurs[31:35] - ChatGPT and the future[33:09] - HK Unicorn squad and LinksKoosSponsors:ChargebeeE-residency
[2:00] - How the SVB crisis unfolded at Payhawk[6:23] - The 3 most important ingredients for building a successful unicorn[16:19] - Validating your company idea[18:19] - 60 rejections. How Payhawk overcame the biggest objection from VCs[28:35] - Leading through crisis[31:54] - Competition - Use data not marketing to assess competition[36:18] - Trends in Fintech: the payment gapCompany link:PayhawkBook recommendation:Proving Ground: The Inside Story of the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Boat Race
[2:24] - Journey to starting Seedstars[5:31] - Investing and not being local[10:27] - Seedstars programs[13:28] - Investor returns from emerging markets[19:06] - Challenges[25:12] - Advice for entrepreneurs [27:16] - Advice for investorsLinksSeedstarsBook: Where the crawdads sing
[3:16] - Hedgeflows: Managing risk and automating payment runs for SMEs [9:51] - Advice for finding early product market fit[16:39] - How to attract talent in early stages without brand or VC backing[19:07] - Knowing your investor’s incentivesLinks:HedgeFlowsBooks:Disciplined Entrepreneurship: 24 steps to successful startup by Bill Aulet
[2:08] - The economics of solar[7:39] - Challenges and barriers to solar adoption[11:11] - Where are the different countries when it comes to adopting solar[14:50] - Erik’s Journey to starting Svea Solar[19:06] - advice on doing layoffs[23:13] - Challenges of scaling - its all about recruiting, developing and retaining talent[29:48] - Continuous people evaluation[37:40] - 3 things Erik looks for when he interviews peopleLinks:Svea SolarBooks:How to avoid a climate disaster by Bill Gates
[2:07] - Advice on navigating current economic conditions[6:00] - FTX bankruptcy [8:48] - Early-stage due diligence [10:59] - Identifying outliers to find the next Uber or Airbnb[14:13] - Decision-making at Creandum[16:20] - Funding process LinksCreandumThe Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
[1:44] - About Remofirst and Nurasyl’s journey to starting Remofirst.[6:49] - The three ingredients for not failing at a startup [9:04] - Finding your ideal customer profile[12:00] - Trends in remote hiring[14:09] - Funding journey and tips[21:50] - Making remote working workLinksRemofirstDelivering Happiness - Tony Hsieh, founder of Zappos
[1:53] - Journey to becoming a venture partner at 29 years[7:40] - Increasing the number of women in VC[10:53] - Ideal startups for Sapphire and how they source deals[21:29] - Common challenges, mistakes and advice for Series B companies[30:14] - Series B valuation and trends in valuation[33:51] - Work life balance as a VCLinks:Sapphire VenturesThe Fearless Organization
[2:15] - Online dating market - is there space for one more?[4:47] - Lessons learned from previous startups - retention, defensibility, product complexity, and proving pmf outside of your home market.[16:39] - Never giving up[20:52] - With 8 rounds of fundraising under his belt, David shares his secret for fundraising.[29:00] - Seed stage valuation[29:54] - Iceland as a growing entrepreneurial hubLinksSmittenBook RecommendationNever Split the DifferenceRich dad, poor dad
1:55] - Journey to founding TERN
[4:49] - Refugee problem is a global problem. By the numbers.
[7:08] - Are refugees are burden to the host country?
[9:85] - The Rwanda Refugee plan - will it work?
[21:39] - UK’s support for refugees - asylum seekers vs resettlement
[28:28] - TERN support for refugees
[31:45] - Top three businesses started by refugee entrepreneurs and their main challenges
LinksTernRefugee market place, AnkaBen and Jerry’s support page
[1:53] - Safety in upbringing and why being outside can be a boon to an entrepreneur
[8:29] - “Never look at the competition, know your customer instead”
[10:58] - Focus on the product and avoid distractions
[14:25] - On B2C marketing
[19:20] - Building the company culture at Vivino
[23:34] - When should a founder step down and bring in a new CEO
[27:08] - Fundraising tips
[30:35] - what Heini looks for in founders for angel investing
Links:www.vivino.comRaw Startup youtube channel - how to grow your app distribution
[1:51] - Irish startup scene[7:41] - How to attract and incentivize talent at a macro level[11:13] - The best startup ecosystems in Europe[19:15] - Dogpatch[24:12] - Norther Ireland/Southern Ireland collaboration[27:21] - Funding for startups in IrelandLinksDogpatchChanging World Order by Ray DalioMidnight’s children by Salman Rushdie
[2:30] Idea development when you are not from the industry
[14:52] - From idea to MVP - DIY or outsource?
[21:16] - Funding journey pre-seed to seed
[25:26] - Building your team
[29:34] - Getting your first customers
[31:58] - Niche down on a vertical or not
[37:25] - Fundraising dos and don’ts
LinksArx Alliance
1:45 - Your journey from operational role to VC6:16 - Advice for others thinking of moving from operational to VC role.12:33 - What makes Creandum different to other VC firms?16:25 - Creandum’s process of finding and investing in companies25:00 - Timing for approaching Creandum 27:48 - Metrics for investing32:59 - Trends in EuropeLinksCreandum
2:00 - Founding YuLife - the journey
10:34 - Finding the right co-founders
17:49 - Initial customers
19:21 - Proving ROI
23:11 - From founder-led sales to systematic marketing and sales
27:28 - External branding
31:41 - Pivoting from B2C to B2B early on
34:33 - Internal culture and branding
LinksYuLife7 Habits of Highly Effective People - Steven Covey
[1:57] - About Notion Capital[4:04] - Notion’s go-to-market support and building the scaling engine[9:09] - How to build a team for growth[16:10] - When to bring in marketing; and determining the first hire[20:13] - US Expansion: when and how you should expand to the US [28:01] - How do you become a Notion Capital portfolio company[40:35] - Big trends and areas of growth in EuropeLinksNotion CapitalThe Circadian Code
[2:08] Your career from currency trader to COO of Railsbank
[6:50] Advice for women in FinTech on growing their careers
[11:07] Building a high-performance sales team and hiring women after a career break
[16:24] Current trends in embedded finance and fintech
[25:46] Growing from 120 - 500 people
Links:RailsbankLittle Women by Louisa Alcott